Provision
Exodus 16:4
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day”
Joshua 5:12
And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Throughout my life, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to discern the difference between God’s job and my job. I feel like I have a grip on this when it comes to eternal salvation and the big picture. However, trying to figure out where that line is in the day-to-day operations of life is difficult at times. Do you ever feel that way? The goal of this piece is not to answer that question, but to simply offer insight into passages that have helped me grasp this better. I included two opening scriptures today instead of one to make sure I conveyed the point accurately.
In first passage above, God rains down manna right into the lap of the Israelites. However, in the second passage, they were told to get their own food from the produce of the land. God had sustained them in the wilderness by providing manna. But once they arrived in Canaan, He wanted them to gather from the crops of the land. In some seasons, God provides in a supernatural way that we can’t explain. In other seasons, God asks us to use the abilities He’s given us to harvest from the opportunities He’s given us. In both seasons, God is still the provider. As I look back on difficult seasons in my life, I’ve learned that I never had a provision problem on God’s end, but a stewardship problem on my end. I encourage you to join me this week in being thankful for God’s provision in all seasons, whether supernatural or mundane. After all, we are to be content with God’s provision in all circumstances.
Philippians 4:12-13
I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need, I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
